WSYR Local News

State Delays Controversial Student Database

Buffalo, N.Y. - New York education officials are postponing plans for a statewide student database until concerns about privacy and security have been addressed.

The state had planned to transfer students' grades, test scores and attendance records to Atlanta-based service provider InBloom this year. But opponents ranging from parents to state legislative leaders raised concerns about storing personal student data on servers in the so-called cloud, accessed through the Internet.

The state education department on Monday says it will delay the launch of the EngageNY Portal until the start of the next school year in order to address data security protections.

The idea of the portal is to make it easier to track student progress and identify at-risk students. It's to be funded initially with federal Race to the Top money.